Australia’s 30-0 drubbing at the hands of New Zealand in the Pacific Championships final may not be the final chapter in James Tedesco’s representative career but it should be.
The Kangaroos captain is still a very fine player and coach Mal Meninga has been loyal to his veteran fullback but at some point the reality of the situation needs to be recognised.
Tedesco is no longer a guaranteed start in the NSW or Australian teams and if either side was picked on form in 2024, he is unlikely to be in the No.1 jersey unless he dramatically reverses the decline of the past couple of seasons.
The 30-point humiliation in Auckland underlines how Australia cannot take for granted their place at the top of the international rugby league pecking order despite decades of dominance.
A plan is needed to ensure the right players are committed to Australia in the lead-up to the next World Cup in 2026 with the right captain leading from the front.
(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images for RLWC)
The skipper needs to be someone who is an automatic selection, has leadership experience and the respect of his peers at the elite level.
Panthers co-captain Nathan Cleary ticks all the boxes and, turning 26 next week, he is at the right age to be a long-term leader in the prime years of his career.
His Penrith counterpart Isaah Yeo and Souths skipper Cameron Murray, who were named vice-captains for last year’s World Cup campaign in the UK, would be the other candidates to succeed Tedesco for both NSW and Australia.
With Daly Cherry-Evans in the twilight of his career and behind Cleary in the pecking order anyway, the best option from Queensland as a future Kangaroos captain is Patrick Carrigan.
He’s had a taste of leading the Broncos and appears the next in line at the Maroons when DCE exits the Origin arena.
Tedesco has had an unusual representative career – he got his first taste with Italy at the 2013 World Cup back when he was a Wests Tigers cub with promise.
(Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
He was unable to break into the squad for the Cup on home soil four years later in his final year at the Tigers because Billy Slater had a stranglehold on the No.1 jersey.
After a belated green and gold debut in 2018, his Kangaroos days were interrupted by the near three-year halt to internationals due to the pandemic.
His form and leadership were essential to the World Cup win last year and despite not being at his best for the Roosters this season he deserved another crack at Test level for the Pacific Championships despite plenty of calls for Penrith’s Dylan Edwards to get the nod.
Edwards ended up playing all three Tests out of position on the wing and would be a frontrunner to replace Tedesco in the NSW and Australian sides if the experienced Rooster retires from rep footy or gets tapped on the shoulder.
But if Latrell Mitchell and Tom Trbojevic are back to full fitness next season, they would also be in the mix for what would be their first sky-blue No.1 jersey after a combined 17 Origins in recent seasons being shunted to centre or the wing.
As for the Australian gig, Reece Walsh and Kalyn Ponga would also have strong claims from the Maroons corner to the fullback spot with both players coming off career-best seasons.
The flip side for Tedesco if he no longer has the representative burden is that he can concentrate fully on performing at his best for the Roosters as they enter a tricky season.
Joseph Suaalii and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves are in their last season, Luke Keary could be the same and Sam Walker needs to re-establish himself as their first-choice playmaker.
Joey Manu is off contract and no certainty to stick around with rival clubs offering squillions and Angus Crichton’s future also clouded after dalliances with rugby.
The club is basing the future of its pack around the likes of Siua Wong and Terrell May supporting Test prop Lindsay Collins, Victor Radley and Brandon Smith with the latter duo also needing to get back to peak form in 2024 after taking a step back last season.
Tedesco stepping aside would also give the Kangaroos a chance to reboot.
Meninga is set to be extended as Kangaroos coach through until the next World Cup and with 25 Tests under his belt, he would likely surpass Chris Anderson (28), Harry Bath and Clive Churchill (29) and Don Furner and Tim Sheens (31), to trail only Frank Stanton (40) and Bob Fulton (75) as the coaches with the most matches at the helm.
DCE will be 35 before the start of the next NRL season while hooker Ben Hunt, 33, may have also played his last Test for the Kangaroos.
Meninga needs fresh blood in his side but also to lock in players who are committed to the team rather than switching back and forth from a heritage nation like Murray Taulagi and Kotoni Staggs have done in recent years.
(Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images for RLWC)
The Kangaroos are becoming like Team USA in men’s basketball, falling short of expectations because of players making themselves unavailable at the last minute.
They should select an extended squad next season of players who pledge their commitment through until the World Cup rather than having to wait until a few weeks before the Tests start each October to find out which players are opting to make themselves available.
There is nothing wrong with choosing another nation if a player has dual eligibility but switching jerseys year to year is a bad look for everyone involved and damages the already porous credibility of international rugby league.
And the tier-two nations would hopefully benefit from an influx of players following the lead of Jason Taumalolo, Stephen Crichton, Brian To’o, Jarome Luai and Josh Papalii who have committed to their ancestral islands rather than adding to Australia’s peerless depth.
zonecadet
Roar Rookie
I'd take Meanie as well and he wasn't even brought to Melbourne to be a fullback.
zonecadet
Roar Rookie
And yet, there he is game after game. Not as cut-throat as some might think, more an old boys' club is the old Rugba League, always has been. He was not up to Origin let alone Internationals.
Bill
Roar Rookie
That spine goes alright with Walsh at 1
NSWelshman
Roar Rookie
Yawn zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Muzz Manyana
Roar Rookie
More like a new spine. Hunt, DCE, Munster and Teddy offer very little these days.
Pickett
Roar Rookie
Shaggy You are right. The forwards played like sponges yet the FB cops it. Unbelievable.
Shaggy
Roar Rookie
He was terrible and should be one 1st dropped after some forwards
Shaggy
Roar Rookie
Teddy didn't loose them the game the forwards did! He played great against kiwi's last game. Game plan nad forwards were terrible but amateurs blame the Fullback ????
Dumbo
Roar Rookie
In terms of eligibility, it does not seem excessive to ask each player - at the start of the season - to identify which nation he wants to represent in the coming twelve months (assuming he is playing well enough to be picked). I suspect what exasperates most fans is the attitude of "I want to play for Australia, but if I'm not playing well enough to be selected, I'll nominate for another country because I think I can get a game that way. If players are not prepared to commit before the season starts, then you have to question whether they genuinely want to represent Australia, or whether they are just looking to get an international cap and some money.
Adam
Roar Guru
Rugby league is the kind of game where you pick the best performing player in each position, at least for representative football. They all have a job, so just pick the ones in form.
Donbich
Roar Rookie
I am sort of glad we lost the final. It means people like Teddy won't keep their spot. I can understand picking him this year out of loyalty. But he had a crap season. Horrible at rep time. He's flat out being a top 5 fullback in the game at the moment. I'd take Ponga, Walsh, Hammer, Edwards over him without even thinking twice.
souvalis
Roar Rookie
If the proviso for captain is guiding a side to victory, Teddy just did the worst job for the Roos in the history of International Rep football. And his series record at SOO as captain 1 out of 4.
dogs
Roar Rookie
So sad that it's been ages since all 3 of them have been playing consistently at the same time.
Maxtruck
Roar Rookie
Unlikely, based on past seasons, that Mitchell or Trbojevic will be fit or willing, Where Papenhuyzen ends up will determine his rep career, If its Tigers, Dogs or Dragons it's over.
dogs
Roar Rookie
Not having a go, genuine question: Why does Cleary have to prove himself as a SOO captain, but Murray doesn’t. Cleary has co-captained 3 winning seasons in a row, not too shabby. On the auto-selection front, I think Cleary, Hass, Grant, and Martin are in for mine. Murray is not automatic purely because there are 3 elite 13s running around at the moment. And if we had more depth in elite edge forwards, I think only one of Murray, Yeo, or Carrigan starts
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
I want to see Cleary being the leader who guides the Blues to a SOO series victory before naming him a Kangaroo captain. If he can't do that, give the (c) to Murray. As for the rest of the team, I think there are few, if any, automatic selections. Form seems flukey for some, while injuries have hurt many and of course, a lot of the incumbents are well into their 30's. Just for once big Mal might have to select on form, rather than staying loyal to guys who "got it done" - especially those who didn't get it done last weekend.
dogs
Roar Rookie
Even though he starts, in my mind Hunt is the bench player and Grant is the actual dummy half. And Hunt is the perfect bench player, get an excellent 20-30 minutes out of him at 9, also an excellent 7 (and assume decent 6) if you get injuries. It's not like carrying a dedicated half on the bench where if you don't get an injury, doesn't really have reason to get on the field. Not sure who can cover that role once he is too old. QLD may go with Cotter as backup 9, and have a dedicated 6/7 (maybe Mam or Dearden) on the bench, we have a tradition of blooding halves in the middle. Maybe Australia will do something similar. By the next world cup he will be too old, and there should be a couple of Kangaroos that none of us have heard of yet. But next year I expect Hunt to go round in rep footy again, just such a unique good fit.
souvalis
Roar Rookie
We only need one of Trell, Turbo or Papenh. to be fit.
dogs
Roar Rookie
Other than the past few years the Blues have kind of been "Panthers Lite". Interesting to see what the next coach does
Dutski
Roar Guru
Got no problem with Teddy being fresh and available for the Roosters. And Edwards deserves a shot at the Blues 1 jersey. It'll be interesting to see if he can play well in his favoured position outside of the Panthers structure.